In Gansbaai, the largest white shark ever caught was at Danger Point and measured up to 5.9m. The exact world record white shark is a contested issue, but chances are it is between 6-7m.

If you see a white shark in the water don’t panic. Chances are high that the shark has already detected you and isn’t interested. White shark attacks are normally associated with poor visibility, so avoid murky conditions.

White sharks have a unique system called a “counter current heat exchange”, which keeps their body tempreture +/- 7C above the surrounding water temperature.

All sharks have an incredibly unique system on the tip of their nose called the “ampillae of Lorenzini”. These are small pores filled with a gel that transmits the electrical currents in the water to the shark’s brain so that it can assess its environment.

White sharks give birth to live young (not eggs), and they give birth to 6-8 pups at one time. Pups are usually between 1.0-1.5m in length and are born with teeth.

Body language has been a well documented form of shark communication and has identified body arching, jaw gaping, and other postures as specific social tactics.

Sharkwatch SA Blog

Daily trip 02 April 2012

Author: Nicola Stelluto (Environmental Ecologist)My initial love for the environment occurred at a young age when my father and I use to watch animal documentaries on Sunday evenings. I was hooked on anything ocean related when I saw these amazing submersibles going to such extreme depth in the ocean and discovering previously unseen things. To be the first to go somewhere where no one has been before was the first thing that attracted me to the field of natural sciences.

A really great trip today with the sharks arriving very promptly on the scene! Our visibility was still hampered by the large planktonic blooms in the area, however the sharks new exactly what to do! They were coming very close to the cage and to not see them was impossible! We had two sharks over the 4 meter mark which was a great treat for everyone on board including myself! After all of the amazing shark activity in the water we were greeted by a large pod of bottlenose dolphin on our way back from Dyer Island! A brilliant way to end off our day! There is just so much life in this area, it is very important to keep a sharp eye out at all times! At all times...

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"Great White Sharks have a sixth sense, their eyes are blue and they each have personalities"

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Did you know: Great White Sharks use body language to communicate. As far as we know, white sharks do not produce noises, other than slapping their jaws. Body language has been a well documented form of communication and has identified body arching, jaw gaping, and other postures as specific social tactics.